Device for collecting pourable materials



Feb. 21, 1967 A. c. REYNOLDS 3,304,654

DEVICE FOR COLLECTING POURABLE MATERIALS Filed Oct. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ADIN C. REYNOLDS ATTORNEYS Feb. 21, 1967 A. c. REYNOLDS DEVICE FOR COLLECTING POURABLE MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 12, .1965

INVENTOR.

AD I N C. REYNOLDS BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,304,654 DEVICE FOR COLLECTING POURABLE MATERIALS Adin C. Reynolds, Aniwa, Wis. 54408 Filed Oct. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 495,263 8 Claims. (Cl. 47-50) This invention relates generally to devices for collecting pourable materials and more particularly to a new and improved device for collecting sap from maple trees.

Presently, the most commonly used method of collecting maple sap involves the use of a metal pail and a separate metal cover therefor. The pail is hung from a conventional sap spout or spile which is tapped into a bore in the trunk of a maple tree for directing sap into the pail. The bulky conventional metal pails and covers require considerable space on vehicles used to transport them to, from and through the woods during the tapping season and considerable storage space when not in use. A conventional pail and cover together weigh over three pounds. Because of the bulk and weight of the pails and covers, users thereof find it ditficult to carry a large number of them in the woods and especially through snow while tapping trees.

Besides being costly to purchase and quite cumbersome to work with, the conventional metal pails and covers are also costly to repair. The jostling and bumping which the pails are subjected to during transportation to, from and through the woods often causes the pails to be dented and damaged which often causes them to leak. Not infrequently, during the early tapping season a hard freeze may cause the pail to burst and leak at the seams. Furthermore, the high winds often blow the covers off of the pails and exposes the contents of the pails to rain, snow and foreign material.

The non-transparent, heat conducting metal pails and covers tend to keep the bacteria count in the sap relatively high which reduces the quality of the sap, thus, diminishing the quality of the final syrup product.

Attempts have been made to hang plastic pouches directly from the sap spouts; however, this practice has not enjoyed commercial acceptance because of the very high cost of the special pouches required in this method of collection.

Accordingly, a primary object of my invention is to provide a low-cost, light-weight, sanitary sap collecting device which is durable and easy to use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved sap collecting device the use of which reflects a good sanitary practice of handling a perishable food product and encourages customer acceptance of the final syrup product.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved sap collecting device which may be pivotably suspended from a conventional sap spout so that the contents may be poured from the device without removing the device from the sap spout.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved sap collecting device which is adapted to be hung from a sap spout by its cover member, wherein the rest of the device is suspended from the cover member and cannot be readily blown or otherwise accidentally detached therefrom during use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved sap collecting device which utilizes a lowcost plastic bag which may be easily washed and reused or discarded if desired at the end of a tapping season.

A further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved sap collecting device which utilizes a transparent plastic bag for receiving sap which will allow the sap to be seen at a distance which saves unnecessary and till 3,304,654 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 often repeated trips to a tree which has already been gathered.

A further object of my invention is to provide a sap collecting device being a transparent plastic bag which allows light rays to penetrate the sap to destroy bacteria thus insuring a high quality final syrup product.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved sap collecting device utilizing a flexible plastic bag the replacement of which is so inexpensive that it substantially eliminates repairs.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a new and improved sap collecting device which is so inexpensive and easy to use that it permits a work crew to tap trees which they could not otherwise tap with the slower and more costly presently known methods.

Further objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention has been selected for exemplification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a sap collecting device embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover member of a sap collecting device embodying my invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bag supporting band of a sap collecting device embodying my invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1 showing my sap collecting device suspended from a conventional sap spout tapped into a maple tree.

While the device shown in the drawings for exemplification is specifically designed for collecting sap from maple trees as referred to above, and although it will be more specifically described hereinafter in connection with the collection of maple sap, it is understood that the use of my device is not intended to be limited to the collection of maple sap as it will find substantial uses in other fields for collecting various pourable materials, both liquid and dry.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings where in like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, my device is generally shown at 10 and comprises a cover member 20, a bag supporting band 30 and a flexible plastic bag 40.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the open-ended cover member 20 has a substantially flat top wall 21, a front wall 22 and a rear wall 23. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, front wall 22 has a retainer portion 24 extending inwardly and upwardly from its lower edge to form a groove 25 with the wall 22. Preferably, the retainer portion 24 extends substantially the length of the lower edge of the front wall 22. Rear wall 23 has a similar retaining portion 26 extending inwardly and upwardly from its lower edge to form a groove 27 with the wall 23. The retainer portion 26 extends substantially the length of the lower edge of rear wall 23.

The rear wall 23 has a hole 28 therein which is of sufficient size to receive a sap spout 11 as shown in FIG. 4. The sap spout 11 is of well known construction and is more specifically described in US. Patent 1,207,444, issued December 5, 1916. The spout 11 which comprises no part of my invention, generally has a tapered plug portion 12 which enters the sap bore 13 of a maple tree 14 for the collection of the sap therefrom. The spout has an upwardly extending spur 15 for retaining the cover member 10 of my device on the spout. The hole 28 is circular and has a diameter of about three-quarters of an inch. My sap collecting device 10 is remo-vably and pivotably suspended from the spout as shown in FIG. 4.

The cover member 20 is preferably made of a substantially rigid, liquid impervious material such as sheet metal, .plastic or the like.

3 The bag supporting band 30 is best seen in FIGS. 3

and 4 and comprises a front portion 31 and a rear portion 32 connected by ends 33 and 34 of which are preferably rounded as shown in FIG. 3. The band 30 has a top edge 35 and a bottom edge 36. The band 30 may be made of a strip of substantially rigid material such as sheet metal and spot welded as shown in FIG. 3. The band 30 may also be made of plastic or other suitable material and it may be riveted or otherwise suitably secured. As shown in FIG. 4, the band 30 is removably supported in grooves and 27 by retainer portions 24 and 26.

The flexible bag 40 is preferably made of clear polyethylene and mounted as shown in FIG. 4.

To assemble the device 10, the top portion 40a of the bag 40 is first inserted through the band and then folded down over the top edge of the band 30 so that the top edge 4% of the bag extends downwardly below the bottom edge 36 of the band 30. The band 30 and the bag 40 are then inserted into the top portion of the cover member 20 from one end so that the front portion 31 of the band 30 is over the front groove 25 and the back-portion 32 of the band 30 is over back groove 27. The top edge 40b of the bag should be positioned inwardly of the retainer portions 24 and 26 at this stage of the assembly operation. The band 30 and bag 40 are then moved downwardly into the grooves 25 and 26 as shown in FIG. 4. This causes that part of the top portion 40a of the bag 40 which extends below the bottom edge 36 of band 30 to be folded under the bottom edge of band 30 and tightly gripped between the bottom edge 36 of the band 30 and the bottom of the retainer portions 24 and 26. It will be noted that as sap or other material accumulates in the bag 40, the increasing weight thereof will cause the band 30 to be pulled downwardly thereby effecting a tighter gripping of the top portion 40a of the bag 40 between the bottom edge 36 of the band 30 and the retaining portions 24 and 26.

As shown in FIG. 1, the top wall 21 of the cover member 20 extends outwardly over the ends of the band 30 so as to prevent rain, snow and foreign matter from falling into the bag 40.

The assembly of my collecting device 10 may be performed at the sugar house or some other place where it is warm before taking the device .into the woods. The assembled collecting device will then be ready to hang immediately as each tree is tapped.

The use of my new and improved sap collecting device 10 will substantially reduce the number of men on the tapping crew, as fewer men are needed to carry the relatively light devices and no one need follow to attach covers as in the past. Furthermore, no tapped trees will be missing covers, as rather frequently happened in the past, because cover member 20 is the part from which the rest of the device 10 is suspended. The fact that the device 10 is hung by its cover member 20 also prevents the cover from being blown off in high winds.

It is apparent that the transparency of the clear polyethylene bag 40 permits immediate detection of any unusual condition of the sap before it is dumped into a larger container together with the sap from surrounding trees.

The time and labor saved by using my new and improved collecting device permits the tapping of many more trees than could be tapped in the past using the conventional metal pail and cover devices.

Even more importantly, the use of my device reflects a good sanitary practice of handling a perishable food product and encourages customer acceptance of the finished syrup product.

It is understood that my invention is not confined to the particular construction and arrangement of parts, herein illustrated and described, but embraces all such 4 modified forms thereof and as come within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for collecting pourable material for use in connection with a spout, said device comprising:

(a) a substantially rigid open-ended cover member adapted to be suspended from a spout,

(b) a band removably mounted in said cover, and

(c) a bag substantially impervious to said material and having an open top portion suspended from said band under said spout for receiving material from said spout, wherein said band has a top edge and a bottom edge and the top portion of said bag extends upwardly through said band, over said top edge and around said bottom edge.

2. A. sap collecting device for use in connection with a sap spout, said device comprising:

(a) a substantially rigid, water impervious, open-ended cover member,

(b) said cover member having a top wall and front wall and a rear wall depending from said top wall,

(0) said rear Wall having a hole therein for receiving said spout for suspending said cover member from said spout,

(d) each of said front and rear walls having an inwardly extending retainer portion,

(e) said retainer portions forming front and rear grooves with the front and rear walls of said cover member,

(f) a substantially rigid band having front and rear portions connected by end portions and having a top edge and a bottom edge, the front and rear portions of said band being received respectively in the front and rear grooves formed by said retaining portions, and

(g) a liquid-impervious plastic bag having an open top portion extending upwardly through said band and outwardly over the top edge of said band.

3. The sap collecting device as specified in claim 2 wherein said top wall extends outwardly over the ends of said band.

4. The sap collecting device as specified in claim 2 wherein said bag is made of trans-parent plastic.

5. The sap collecting device as specified in claim 2 wherein the top portion of said bag also extends downwardly along the outside of said band and inwardly around the bottom edge of said band.

6. The sap collecting device as specified in claim 2 wherein said cover member an dsaid band are made of sheet metal.

7. The sap collecting device as specified in claim 2 wherein said cover member and said band are made of plastic.

8. A sap collecting device for use in connection with a sap spout, said device comprising:

(a) a substantially rigid, water impervious, open-ended cover member,

(b) said cover member having a top wall and a front and a rear wall depending from said top wall,

(c) said rear wall having a hole therein for receiving said sap spout for suspending said cover member from said sap spout,

(d) each of said front and rear walls having an inwardly and upwardly extending retainer portion,

(c) said retainer portions forming front and rear grooves with the front and rear walls of said cover member,

(f) a substantially rigid band having front and rear portions connected by end portions and having a top edge and a bottom edge,

(-g) the front and rear portions of said band being respectively received in the front and rear grooves. formed by said retaining portions,

(h) said top wall of said cover member extending out-- wardly over the ends of said band, and

(i) a transparent plastic bag having an open top portion extending upwardly through said band and outwardly over the top edge of said band and inwardly around the bottom edge of said band for receiving sap from said spout.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 914,456 3/1909 Powell 47-11 6 961,953 6/1910 Gilrner 47-11 2,164,675 7/ 1939 France et a1 4711 FOREIGN PATENTS 598,853 5/1960 Canada.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. BAGWILL, Examiner. 

8. A SAP COLLECTING DEVICE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH A SAP SPOUT, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID, WATER IMPERVIOUS, OPEN-ENDED COVER MEMBER, (B) SAID COVER MEMBER HAVING A TOP WALL AND A FRONT AND A REAR WALL DEPENDING FROM SAID TOP WALL, (C) SAID REAR WALL HAVING A HOLE THEREIN FOR RECEIVING SAID SAP SPOUT FOR SUSPENDING SAID COVER MEMBER FROM SAID SAP SPOUT, (D) EACH OF SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS HAVING AN INWARDLY AND UPWARDLY EXTENDING RETAINER PORTION, (E) SAID RETAINER PORTIONS FORMING FRONT AND REAR GROOVES WITH THE FRONT AND REAR WALLS OF SAID COVER MEMBER, (F) A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID BAND HAVING FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS CONNECTED BY END PORTIONS AND HAVING A TOP EDGE AND A BOTTOM EDGE, (G) THE FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS OF SAID BAND BEING RESPECTIVELY RECEIVED IN THE FRONT AND REAR GROOVES FORMED BY SAID RETAINING PORTIONS, (H) SAID TOP WALL OF SAID COVER MEMBER EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OVER THE ENDS OF SAID BAND, AND (I) A TRANSPARENT PLASTIC BAG HAVING AN OPEN TOP PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID BAND AND OUTWARDLY OVER THE TOP EDGE OF SAID BAND AND INWARDLY AROUND THE BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID BAND FOR RECEIVING SAP FROM SAID SPOUT. 